The study involved 60 college-aged women, all regular exercisers with a history of body image issues. Half of the group participated in 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise, while the other half sat quietly and read for 30 minutes.

For at least 20 minutes after the period of exercise or rest, those who worked out reported improvements in body image as compared with those who were inactive.

It wasn’t just a simple mood boost, either: the women actually viewed themselves as stronger and felt like they had less body fat than they had pre-workout.

“We think that the feelings of strength and empowerment women achieve post exercise stimulate an improved internal dialogue,” lead author Kathleen Martin Ginis said in a statement. “This . . . should generate positive thoughts and feelings about their bodies, which may replace the all-too-common negative ones.”

This is just one more example of how exercise can do a body good. Previous studies have found that exercise can help improve cognitive abilities both in the short-term and long-term, and that breaking a sweat can lead to cravings for healthy foods.